Panthers changes this week, what you need to know

[Jeremy Igo]

A lot has happened on the injury front this week, I thought I would get more casual fans caught up with the latest and what needs to be known. 

1. Jonathan Stewart is out on Sunday. He suffered a sprained foot on Sunday against the Falcons. In his place will be Fozzy Whitaker, Mike Tolbert, and Cameron Artis-Payne. How much Cameron Artis-Payne? Well, that is up to him. The Panthers will be giving him a shot early. If he can produce, he could see 15-20 carries. However, if Artis-Payne struggles in pass protection, you may not see him much at all. Instead, Tolbert and Fozzy will carry the load. 

2. Corner Bene Benwikere is on IR and former Panthers corner Robert McClain was signed to fill the empty corner spot. It is unknown if we will see McClain very much on Sunday if at all. Which brings me to point 3..

3. Peanut Tillman has a partially torn ACL. How partial is partial? No one knows. The good news is Tillman practiced today and appears, for at least the time being, to have a shot at playing on Sunday. So whats the deal here? I can tell you what my opinion is on what is happening behind closed doors....

When it was discovered that Tillman had a partially torn ACL, the Panthers had two choices. IR Tillman or give it a few weeks and see how Tillman responds to therapy. ACLs can indeed heal themselves as long as not fully torn. So the Panthers have been weighing Tillman's injury and likelyhood of a full tear from returning to play against how bad they needed him out there. 

Well, with Benwikere now on IR, the Panthers cannot wait any longer. They need Tillman on the field and could opt to put him out there and hope that he has healed enough without surgery to last through the post season. Will it? Who knows, could be. Depends on far too many factors and variables to list. But the Panthers at this point do not have much of a choice. 

I do know that I have seen Peanut Tillman making cuts on the field that anyone with a badly torn ACL would not be making. So hope for the best, because the Panthers desperately need him for several more weeks. 

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[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

I'd honestly rest Tillman for the next two weeks and give him a few snaps in week 17 against the bucs. I feel confident we'll win at least one more with him out, which should be good for the 1 seed.

[Jmac]

16 and 0 means squat if we are one and done in the playoffs. Need all hands on deck. Whoever we get ....Seattle or Arizona will be a bitch. If we can clinch home field while still resting the walking wounded, then that's what needs to happen.

[London Loves Luke]

Who are these casual fans on here? We need names AND answers 

[Castavar]

I gotta question, why is it a MUST that Tillman hurries and plays this week? I honestly don't get it. Yeah, we have injuries, but I have no doubt we could handle the Giants (and even the Falcons again) without Tillman, especially with this offense. That's two weeks extra rest and he could play a few snaps in the Bucs game to somewhat knock off rust. I just don't get why it seems this week is THE week to bring him back.

[Montsta]

So do I tell my wife to pickup fozzy or cap for the fantasy playoffs because she had Stew and now she's gonna be pissed. 

[nctarheel0619]

2 minutes ago, Montsta said:

So do I tell my wife to pickup fozzy or cap for the fantasy playoffs because she had Stew and now she's gonna be pissed. 

Bryce Brown, Christine Michael (Seahawks).  I would pick up those two over either of the ones that you wrote about.  

[CRA]

6 minutes ago, Montsta said:

So do I tell my wife to pickup fozzy or cap for the fantasy playoffs because she had Stew and now she's gonna be pissed. 

I'd go Fozzy.

who was the big play man down the stretch last year? He made one last week.  

[Montsta]

Yeah I told her to pickup Denard Robinson. Pickins are awfully slim right now for RB's on waiver

[Daddy_Uncle]

we gonna keep pounding with whoever is on the field

[Montsta]

I told her to pickup Hightower a couple days ago but my buddy snatched him up on waivers with a 3-10 or so record just so my wife couldn't get him. If my wife wins she'll be playing his fiancé in the finals I think. 

This kind of collusion cannot stand and as commissioner I think I need to re-evaluate his waiver rights at this point in the season. 

[pantherj]

Rushing Tillman back makes no sense. He must be feeling pretty good and ready to play.

[motocross_cat]

So will lou young be getting any snaps out there?  Also i have mixed feelings about the rb situation.  Yes we have ran well but alot is due to stewart breaking so many tackles at the line of scrimmage.  Any way you look at it this will be an exciting game and a look into the future perhaps.

[CRA]

5 minutes ago, pantherj said:

Rushing Tillman back makes no sense. He must be feeling pretty good and ready to play.

We only have so few roster spots.  We need them.  

Tillman's knee likely is what it is.  So either he can play or can't